Spotlight on the Seattle Yoga Scene — where to take yoga class, who to take class with and what to do in between.
Sparkling waters, lush evergreens, fresh catch, good coffee, snow-capped peaks and breathtaking panoramas from the Space Needle. You’ve arrived in Seattle (a.k.a. the “Emerald City”). Rock guru Jimi Hendrix was born here, and decades later, Nirvana, Soundgarden, Pearl Jam, and Alice in Chains kicked off grunge, that alt rock movement of the early ‘90s. Surrounded by endless natural beauty and inspiration, Seattle is the ideal spot to unroll your mat and experience your own inner revolution.
Where to Practice
SHAKTI Vinyasa Yoga
SHAKTI Vinyasa Yoga (with three Seattle locations) is home to SHAKTI Vinyasa Yoga, created by studio founder and director, Lisa Black. Students chant, breath, bend, balance and flow through mandala namaskars (circular sun salutations) in this unique class. The SHAKTI schedule is also packed with detoxifying Baptiste Power Vinyasa Flow classes. Short on time? Take Hour of Power, the condensed version.
8 Limbs Yoga
15 years ago founder Anne Phyfe Palmer opened the first 8 Limbs Yoga, an inclusive space inspired by the open-mindedness of Krishnamacharya. Voted “Best Yoga Studio” in Seattle, 8 Limbs Yoga (now with three centers) has a community of supportive teachers and explorative students who continue to practice diversity over dogma in a sprinkling of different disciplines.
“The Seattle yoga community is very mature,” says Anne Phyfe. “In Seattle, we spend a lot of time indoors. Students tend to get very introspective, developing an inward personal practice. There is a depth here that goes so far beyond asana.”
Be Luminous Yoga
Be Luminous Yoga offers a wellness regime for the body and mind, and lots of yoga — Baptiste Power, ACRO, Beginner Series, Dynamic Flows and Fine Tuning. Students here get comfortable with kinesiology as instructors give an education of the biomechanics of yoga. From Mindful Monkeys (yoga for ages 5-9) to Athletes Stretch (relieve tension and repair damage) there is a yoga class for everyone.
“As a teacher in Seattle, nothing is stale,” says Michel Spruance, Co-owner of Be Luminous Yoga. “The best part of Be Luminous is the people. They share fully of themselves. People here get to know each other, laugh together and even go out for beer when the time is right.”
The Yoga Tree
The Yoga Tree, a Hatha haven known for its abundance of workshops, blends classical tradition with modern insight. Taffy Frost, the owner and director, encourages a beginner’s mind and an open heart in her vigorous and challenging sequence in Hatha 1-3. What’s better than a cool down at Yoga Tree? Yoga Nidra (iRest, or the ancient way of meditation), a relaxing hour that releases tension blocks from, not only the conscious, but the unconscious.
Who to Practice With
Melanie Foust
With her dance background and sense of adventure (she’s an avid kiteboarder), Melanie Foust takes yoga to new levels. Join her in AcroYoga, to embody the flow of trust and experience the calm of “flying massage”. Or take her Prana Flow class, a fluid movement of lunar, solar and sahaja (spontaneous) energies, inspired by her senior teacher Shiva Rea.
Maura Barclay
First a Junior Olympian turned professional fire fighter, Maura Barclay found yoga through an Iyengar influenced hybrid of Hatha and martial arts. When she’s not at home teaching (at 8 Limbs and CrossFit Belltown, Maura is bringing Yoga Tune Up®, a healing, head-to-toe yoga fitness practice, to gyms and studios across the country. Maura also writes for YOGANONYMOUS, contributing a monthly anatomy article.
“People in Seattle are really living the yoga lifestyle, the yamas and niyamas,” says Maura. “And so willing to go along with what I’m teaching, willing to just go for it! There is always such etiquette among the community and such a great curiosity to just try.”
Lisa Black
When Lisa Blacks’s not traveling to teach workshops and teaching trainings with Baron Baptiste, she’s in Seattle hosting retreats and teaching her SHAKTI Vinyasa Flow classes where she takes her students well beyond an asana practice. Her distinct discipline incorporates the principles of Baron Baptiste, Shiva Rea and Ana Forrest, along with her own philosophies and life experience.
“I focus on empowering students to be the best they can be and to step up to the edge of transformation.” says Lisa. “As a teacher, it’s important to be authentic and not to try to be like anyone else or teach like anyone else.”
Yoga Happenings Year-Round
Fall Equinox Global Mala Celebration
Join the Fall Equinox Global Mala Celebration at Sutra Yoga Seattle, where donations go towards protecting the waters of the Puget Sound
Yoga for Hope
Bring your mat out for a day with Yoga for Hope to raise awareness about the profound positive effects of yoga in the treatment of life-threatening diseases.
Wanderlust Yoga in the City Seattle
Rock out with the Seattle yoga and wellness community at Space Needle Park with Wanderlust in the City Seattle, an annual festival of yoga, love and music.
Yoga Blaze
Want to be an in-the-know Seattle yogi? Check out Yoga Blaze.
Seattle is where it all began — Starbucks, that is. Located in the heart of Pike Place Market is the very first one. But if coffee’s not your thing, the market speaks for itself, abounding with delicious, in-season edibles.
